Online fundraiser started for local teaching and coaching legend

The daughter of a local coaching legend is trying to help her father and has enlisted the aid of the community to do it.

Katie Scott, daughter of retired General Amherst teacher Dave Scott, has started a GoFundMe page to help her father as Dave is battling ALS – otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Her goal is to raise at least $5,000 through the online campaign, money that will be used to cover any out-of-pocket expenses that will have to be laid out for a customized wheelchair, ramps and other mobility aids.

Katie said her father has lost a lot of his mobility, particularly in his upper body, and sometimes experiences shortness of breath.

“I’m doing it because I love him and I want to help him in the best way I possibly can,” said Katie.

Some items that Dave needs are covered through insurance and by the ALS association, Katie said, but there are other items that are not and some that require some payment by the family.

“There’s all the little extras that has to be paid for,” she said.

While Katie has embarked on the GoFundMe fundraiser, she admits that her father isn’t fully on board with the request.

“He’s a proud man,” she said. “He doesn’t want people to think he can’t afford things.”

Despite that, Katie said she wants to improve her father’s quality of life and give him more freedom to come and go from his home.

Dave and Katie Scott

“His best interest is what I have in mind,” she said. “I’m doing it for the greater good.”

Dave taught at General Amherst for over 30 years and continued coaching since he retired, with his coaching career lasting more than 40 years. He coached junior football and track and field as recently as 2016.

“He’s coached so many students,” said Katie. “It’s a nice way for the community to give back to him. I think a lot of people are looking for ways to help.”

To find the GoFundMe page, search the site for “Team Scott Fight Against ALS.” The direct link to the page can be found at www.gofundme.com/3u1bz0w.